> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.rinsebase.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.rinsebase.com/billing-and-payments.md). # Billing and Payments This article covers getting paid in Rinsebase: connecting Stripe, how invoices are created and priced, billing each client on the schedule they want, autopay, reminders and late fees, tax, deposits, promotions, account credit, and syncing with QuickBooks Online or Xero. ## Connect Stripe Clients pay your invoices online through Stripe Connect. The money goes straight to your bank account. Stripe's processing fees come out of each payment, and Rinsebase adds no per-charge fee. 1. Go to **Settings → Billing** and find **Payment method & Stripe Connect**. 2. Under **Accept payments from clients**, set **Business country**: **United States — USD** or **Canada — CAD**. Choose it before you connect, because the picker disappears once your Stripe account exists. 3. Click **Connect Stripe →** and finish Stripe's onboarding (business details, bank account, identity). 4. When you're done, the button reads **✓ Stripe connected**. Online payments switch on after your first completed clean, meaning a crew member clocks out on a job and adds a photo. Until then, invoices still send and you can record payments by hand. If Stripe needs more information, the card shows **⚠ Payments need attention** with what Stripe still needs, and the Pay button is hidden on your clients' invoices. Click **⚠ Repair setup →** to finish in Stripe. ### How clients pay * Invoice emails carry a **View & pay invoice →** button that opens the client's portal. * Clients pay by card. US accounts also offer a **Bank** tab (ACH), which costs about 0.8% capped at $5, compared with 2.9% + 30¢ for cards. Bank payments take a few business days to clear. Canadian accounts are card-only and charge in CAD. * Clients can add a tip (No tip, 10%, 15%, 20% or a custom amount) when they pay. * Refunds are issued in Stripe, and Rinsebase records them on the invoice automatically. ## How invoices are created ### When a clean is completed With **Auto-create invoices** on (**Settings → Features → Automation**, on by default, every plan), Rinsebase creates the invoice the moment a clean is marked complete, whichever app the crew uses. The invoice is created as a **Draft** so you can review it before the client sees it. * To email invoices automatically at completion, turn on **Auto-send invoices** in the same card (Growth plan and up). It is off by default. * If you bill through QuickBooks or another system, turn **Auto-create invoices** off. * To create one on demand, open the job and click **📄 Create invoice**. This always makes a draft and never charges the client. * Clients on a weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly cadence don't get a per-clean invoice. Their cleans collect under **Unbilled** (see Invoicing cadence per client below). ### How the price is worked out Rinsebase uses the first of these that has a price: 1. **Manual price lines** on the property (**Pricing & pay rates** on the property page) 2. The job's **quoted price** 3. Your **Settings → Pricing** formula, plus turnover surcharges 4. The service's base price from **Settings → Services** 5. The subtotal of a linked quote A per-property **Pet fee** is added when the crew marks the clean as having pets. The job's promo code is applied as a discount line. Tax is charged on the subtotal after the discount. A collected booking deposit is credited to the invoice as a payment. **A clean with no price still gets an invoice, at $0.** If none of the five gives it a price (say a service with no base price and no Settings → Pricing formula), Rinsebase creates the invoice anyway so the gap shows up in **Invoices**. It isn't emailed and nothing is charged. Add the price, then send it. For a client on a weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly cadence, the clean waits under **Unbilled** at $0 instead. A property whose manual price is $0 on purpose is the exception: completing that clean creates no invoice. **📄 Create invoice** still makes a $0 draft for it. ### Create an invoice by hand 1. Go to **Invoices** and click **+ New invoice**. 2. Choose the client. Optionally use **Prefill from a completed job**. 3. Add **Line items**, and optionally a **Manual discount**, **Due in (days)** and **Notes**. Tick or untick the tax line. 4. Click **✓ Create draft**, then send it when you're ready. ## Invoicing cadence per client Each client has a **Billing** setting on their client record in **Clients** (edit the client): | Option | What happens | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **An invoice per clean** | Every completed clean gets its own invoice (the default) | | **One invoice a week** / **every two weeks** / **a month** | Cleans collect under **Unbilled** and go out as one invoice per period, one line per clean, grouped by property | | **Two invoices a month (1st–15th, 16th–end)** | Same, split at mid-month | | **Monthly retainer only** | Cleans are covered by the client's monthly retainer and aren't invoiced one by one | The weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly options are on the Growth plan and up. A daily run closes each finished period into an invoice. If **Auto-send invoices** is on, the invoice is emailed. If it's off, it waits as a draft. On the **Invoices** page, the **Unbilled** tab shows what's waiting, grouped by client: * **Invoice now** bills everything waiting for that client immediately, as a draft. It works for any client, including per-clean clients with a few extra charges. * **+ Add charge** adds an **Extra**, **Supplies**, **Laundry**, **Linen**, **Adjustment** or **Credit (reduces the invoice)** line for the next invoice. For supplies, laundry and linen you enter **Your cost** and the billed price follows your markup. For a retainer, set **Monthly amount ($)** and **Bills on day** in the client's **Retainers** button. That button appears once **STR service expansion** is turned on in **Settings → Features**. If a retainer client has no active retainer, their cleans are invoiced normally so nothing goes unbilled. ## Working with invoices ### Invoice statuses | Status | Meaning | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Draft** | Created but not sent to the client | | **Sent** | Emailed to the client, not paid yet | | **Viewed** | The client opened it in their property manager portal | | **Partial** | Part of the balance has been paid | | **Clearing** | The client paid by bank transfer and it's still clearing. Reminders aren't sent | | **Bank verifying** | The client started a bank payment and Stripe is waiting on micro-deposit verification | | **Overdue** | Past its due date with a balance left | | **Paid** | Fully paid | | **Void** | Cancelled, and kept on record | The tabs across the top filter by **Unbilled**, **Active**, **Overdue**, **Draft**, **Sent**, **Partial**, **Paid** and **Void**. ### Invoice actions Click an invoice to open it. Depending on its status you'll see: * **📤 Send invoice** / **📤 Resend invoice**: emails it with the pay link. A resend goes out marked as a reminder. * **✓ Mark as paid**: records a payment (see below). * **✉ Send reminder**: emails a payment reminder now. * **↩ Issue credit**: leaves the sent invoice unchanged and adds a credit line to the client's next invoice. * **✏️ Edit invoice**, **⧉ Duplicate** (new draft with the same lines, terms and PO number), **📄 Statement**. * **🧾 View invoice**: the formatted invoice, with **⬇ Download PDF** and **🖨 Print**. * **⊘ Void invoice**: only available while no payment is recorded. It keeps the record and releases its cleans and charges so they can be billed again. **🗑 Delete invoice** removes it entirely. To act on several invoices at once, select them and use **📤 Send N selected**, **⊘ Void N selected** or **✓ Mark N paid**. Paid and void invoices are skipped. ### Record a payment For cash, check or anything paid outside Stripe, click **Record payment** (**Mark paid** on a draft) on the row, or **✓ Mark as paid** in the panel. Then: 1. Choose the method: **Cash**, **Check**, **Venmo**, **Zelle**, **Card**, **Square** or **Other**. 2. Enter **Amount received** and **Date received**. A smaller amount leaves the invoice **Partial**. Optionally add a **Tip** and a **Note**. 3. Click **✓ Record $… payment**. Only an Owner or Manager can record payments or apply account credit. ### Statements **📄 Statement** shows a client's opening balance, invoices, payments and closing balance for a period (**This month**, **Last month**, **Last 90 days**, **Year to date**). From there you can click **⬇ Download PDF** or **✉ Send statement**. ## Autopay Clients can save a card so you're paid without chasing them. 1. Open the client and find the **Autopay** card. 2. Click **💳 Offer autopay**. The client gets an email with a secure Stripe link to save their card. The client needs an email address. 3. The status moves from **Not enrolled** to **Invited**, then **Active**. Use **Pause autopay** to stop charging, or **↺ Re-offer autopay** to invite them again. **Per-clean invoices:** when an invoice is created at completion for a client with active autopay, their saved card is charged straight away. **Consolidated invoices:** set **Autopay on consolidated invoices** in **Settings → Company** (off by default) and choose a **Decline window (hours after the invoice is sent)**. The client sees the charge date in the invoice email and can pause it from their portal. You can step in from the invoice with **⚡ Charge now**, **⏸ Pause autopay**, **▶ Release & charge now**, **✕ Cancel autopay** or **↻ Retry charge**. ## Reminders and late fees These settings are in **Settings → Company** under **Invoicing & ops**. Click **Save changes** when you're done. * **Automatic payment reminders** (every plan, off by default): emails clients with open invoices (and texts clients who opted in) on the days you list in **Remind on these days after the due date** (for example 3, 7, 14). * **Courtesy nudge before it's due**: 1, 3 or 7 days before the due date. * **Late fee on overdue invoices** (Growth plan and up, off by default): adds a **% of the open balance** or a **Flat $ amount** once the invoice is **Applied this many days after due**, then re-sends the invoice. Percent fees can have a **Cap per invoice**. Each invoice gets one late fee. Late fees are only added while automatic reminders are on. To leave out one client, tick **Don't send this client automatic payment reminders** or **Never add late fees for this client** on their client record. ## Tax, numbering and payment terms All of these are in **Settings → Company**: * **Default tax rate (%)** applies to every invoice. If more than one tax applies (for example GST + PST), click **Split into GST + PST…** and use **+ Add a tax**. Invoices then print one row per tax. * **Tax name on invoices** sets the label, such as GST, HST or Sales tax. **Tax registration #** prints your number on invoices. In Canada this field is **GST/HST registration #**. * **Invoice prefix** and **Next invoice number** control numbering, for example INV-0042. Start above any numbers you already use in QuickBooks, Xero or on paper. You can move the number forward but never back. * **Payment terms (days)** sets the due date: **Due on receipt** or Net 7 to Net 60. Each client can override it. ## Client billing settings These fields are on each client's record (edit the client): | Field | What it does | | ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Billing** | The invoicing cadence (see above) | | **Payment terms (days)** | Overrides your default. Blank uses the default, 0 = due on receipt | | **PO number** | Printed on every invoice | | **Billing email** | Invoices go here instead of the main email, for example an accounts-payable inbox | | **Tax exempt** | No tax on this client's invoices | | **Don't send this client automatic payment reminders** | Mutes reminders for this client | | **Never add late fees for this client** | Exempts them from late fees | | **Supplies markup for this client (%)** | Overrides the company markup. Blank uses the company setting | ## Deposits on bookings To take a deposit before confirming a booking from your booking page, open **Bookings** and turn on **Require deposit on approval** in the **Booking deposits** card. Choose **Flat amount ($)** or **Percentage (%)** of the booking's quoted price. When you click **✓ Approve & request deposit**, the client is emailed a payment link and the booking waits as deposit pending. When they pay, the booking is approved and you get an email. The deposit is credited as a payment when that clean is invoiced. ## Quotes Under **Quotes**, click **+ New Quote** to build an estimate from your services, add-ons and custom line items, with a tax rate and an optional expiry date. **Send Quote** emails the client a link. When they accept, the quote becomes **Converted → Job** and the clean arrives in your approval queue so you can set the time and approve it. ## Pricing ### Services and add-ons * **Settings → Services**: each service has a **Base price ($)**, which prices a clean when nothing more specific applies. On your booking form it's the service's starting price: the card says "from $" that amount, and the estimate never goes below it. * **Settings → Add-ons**: free-form extras with a **Label** and **Price ($)**. They show up on your booking form, quote builder and client portal. ### Pricing formula **Settings → Pricing** holds the formula. Not every setting reaches both places: | Setting | Booking form estimate | Invoices (cleans priced by the formula) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | **Base price**, **Per bedroom**, **Per bathroom**, **Per sqft** | Yes, from what the client enters | Yes, from the property's beds, baths and sqft | | **Per sleeper** | Yes | No | | **Per extra floor** | No (the form doesn't ask) | No (the live preview only) | | **Deep clean**, **Move-out** multipliers | Yes, by the service's name | Yes, by the service's name | | **First clean** multiplier | No | Yes, for a service with "first" in its name | | **Recurring discount** | Yes: weekly, every 2 weeks and monthly | No | | **Turnover surcharge**, **Weekend surcharge** (Fri, Sat, Sun), **Under 3hr / Under 2hr window** | Yes, on turnovers | Yes, on turnovers | | **Emergency / same-day** | Yes, on a turnover booked for today | No | Only one window surcharge applies: under 2 hours, or else under 3 hours. A surcharge below 0 is never applied. ### Booking form estimates With **Auto-quote on booking form** on, the form works an estimate out in this order: 1. The formula above for the home the client describes. Until you first save **Settings → Pricing**, that's $100 + $20 per bedroom + $15 per bathroom. 2. The deep clean or move-out multiplier, by the service's name. 3. The service's base price as the floor: the estimate never goes below it. 4. The add-ons the client picked. 5. Your recurring discount for weekly, every-2-weeks and monthly cleans. Until you first save Settings → Pricing, that's 15%, 10% and 5%. 6. On a turnover, the surcharges, added together. 7. Rounded to the dollar. A promo code comes off last. A home with 8 or more bedrooms or bathrooms, 16 or more guests, 2 or more kitchens, or 6,000 sqft or more gets no estimate. The client is told you'll send a custom quote. Rinsebase prices every booking again when it's saved, from your current settings. If that differs from what the client saw (because you changed a price while they were booking, for example), **Bookings** shows you both. Your **Custom note on booking form** appears beside the estimate. With auto-quote off, the form shows no price, and every booking arrives for you to quote. ### Per-property pricing On a property page, **Pricing & pay rates** switches between **Auto (calculator)** (the formula above) and **✏️ Manual pricing**, which sets a client price per service for that property. Manual prices win over everything else. The same section holds crew pay rates and the property's **Pet fee**. Click **💾 Save pricing & pay**. ### Supplies markup **Markup on supplies you bill through (%)** in **Settings → Company** is added on top of your cost when you bill supplies, laundry or linen to a client. 0 bills at cost. Each client can have their own markup. ## Promotions Promotions are on the Growth plan and up. Go to **Promotions** and click **✦ New promotion**: 1. Enter a **Promotion name** and pick the **Discount type**: **% Off**, **$ Off**, **First Visit**, **Free Service** or **Referral**. Every type except % Off takes a dollar amount off. 2. Set the discount value, an optional **Promo code**, **Max uses** (blank = unlimited) and **Expires after** (Never, or 7 days to 1 year). 3. Optionally tick **Stackable (combines with other promos)** or **Auto-apply**, then click **Create promotion**. Clients can enter codes on your booking form, and you can apply one on an invoice under **✦ Promo Code**. Use **Pause** / **Activate** to switch a promotion off and on. The **💝 Referral Program** card sets up a referral promo with **+ Create referral promo** and gives you a link to share. ## Account credit **Account credit** holds prepaid or complimentary balances on a client's account. Its sources are **Gift card** (bought by someone on your public gift card page), **Added by you**, **Referral credit** and **Promo credit**. * Click **Add credit**, enter the **Amount**, choose the **Source**, fill in **Whose account** and link it to a client. Optionally set **Expires after**. * Credit is used from the invoice panel: under **Account credit**, click **+ Apply credit**, enter the credit code and click **Apply credit**. The invoice shows the **Remaining due**. * To cancel a balance, open it, expand **Admin actions** and click **Void this balance**. The remaining credit is lost. * To let anyone buy gift cards from your public page, turn on **Gift card sales** in **Settings → Features**. Use **🔗 Share link** to copy the page link. ## QuickBooks Online and Xero Rinsebase syncs your books natively. No Zapier account, no CSV round trip. ### Connect QuickBooks Online 1. Go to **Settings → Integrations** 2. Under **QuickBooks Online**, click **Connect QuickBooks** 3. Sign in to Intuit and choose the company to connect. You're brought straight back to Rinsebase. Once connected: * New invoices and the payments you record in Rinsebase sync to QuickBooks automatically. Customers are matched to existing QuickBooks customers or created for you. * Turn on **Import payments recorded in QuickBooks** if clients pay you by check or bank transfer and you record it in QuickBooks. Rinsebase marks the matching invoice paid and stops reminders and late fees. It's checked every hour and before any reminder goes out. * **Sync recent invoices** pushes invoices created before you connected. The **Sync log** under the card shows every push and any errors. Disconnecting stops new syncs. Invoices already in QuickBooks stay there. ### Connect Xero Same steps under the **Xero** card: click **Connect Xero**, authorize your organization, and invoices and payments flow into Xero with contacts matched or created. Xero sync is in beta. ### Plans Native QuickBooks and Xero sync are available on the Growth plan and up. On other plans, use **Reports → QuickBooks Online CSV** (import it in QuickBooks under Sales → Invoices → Import). ### Don't have QuickBooks yet? Intuit's current new-customer offer applies, and Rinsebase earns a referral fee at no cost to you. Start QuickBooks Online through our partner link: ## Related * [Clients and Properties](/clients-and-properties.md) * [Client and Property Manager Portals](/client-and-property-manager-portals.md) * [Settings](/settings.md) * [Reports and Payroll](/reports-and-payroll.md)